


Everything’s okay until it isn’t

by Bubulona



Category: Dark (TV 2017)
Genre: 5+1, AUs, Alternate Universe, Angst, But different, F/M, Fated Encounter, First Meetings, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Origin World, Romance, There's a part that has some swearing and a bit of violence, Winden, but it's nothing too graphic or bad, five times they meet and one time they don't, it references to episode 9 of season 1
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-08
Updated: 2020-07-08
Packaged: 2021-03-04 17:41:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25140298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bubulona/pseuds/Bubulona
Summary: Nothing's okay until everything is. Everything's okay until it isn't.5 times Regina and Boris/Aleksander meet and 1 time they don't.
Relationships: Aleksander Tiedemann | Boris Niewald/Regina Tiedemann
Comments: 8
Kudos: 39





	Everything’s okay until it isn’t

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Dark. If I did, I wouldn't be writing fanfiction and some things would be different. This wonderful and complicated series belongs Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese and Netflix. 
> 
> Light references to some spoilers.
> 
> Read at your own risk. 
> 
> Because our "Everything's okay" couple deserved better A.K.A. I want to believe that they always meet and that in "Origin World" is the only time they don't (but that's a lie because we know they just haven't met or he's away doing something).

∞♡∞♡∞

Regina, like everyone at school, knows about the new guy. It’s hard not to miss him; in a way, he stands out, and in another way, he doesn’t. He stands out not only because he’s new to Winden’s tightly bonded community that goes back several generations, but because of his looks. Some people whisper that he looks like he could never belong – that he doesn’t belong in Winden and never will – while others whisper that he seems like someone who is meant to be here, be it by destiny or some higher power.

Regina knows nothing about him. There are rumors and whispers all over school’s hallways, but those are always embellished in exaggerations and lies. Most of the things Regina has heard are not nice. Some of the whispers were from girls that claimed that he was the illegitimate son of some business tycoon who had ties with the mafia. Others swore that he had beat up some man so badly that he was in a coma. Some of the rumors came from boys who had “proof” that he was a fugitive from the East and that the police were desperately looking for him. One kid even said that he thought he looked like a time traveler. Others shared the belief that the new guy had the eyes of a murderer. One day during lunch, Hannah had told Regina about the bet the school was placing on the new guy and his mysterious origins.

All Regina knows is that although she has seen him occasionally hang around Jürgen Obendorf and Torben Wöller, he tends to keep to himself. He always seemed to disappear.

Unlike everyone else, Regina has yet to see him. Sure, she may have seen his back, and she may have seen him from afar, but she has never seen him face-to-face. She knows that he has dark hair and that wears a dark leather jacket, but she has never interacted with him. She hasn’t had the opportunity to see him up close and determine whether he has good intentions or whether he was just as bad as the stories claimed.

Regina just knows that they will meet eventually.

_Winden library_

Today is one of those rare days where she’s not with Katharina or Hannah. Katharina had to retake a test she missed for “unknown” reasons (although Regina and Hannah are more than aware that the reason has to do with her mother). On the other hand, Hannah had told Regina she was going to meet with Torben Wöller; Regina vaguely recalls something about Hannah having to return something to him. She isn’t sure if Hannah likes the guy or what’s the deal between the two, but she gets the feeling that there might be something going on. Then again, Regina wouldn’t know. She isn’t bold and fearless enough like Katharina to go after the guys she liked, and she isn’t pretty and observant enough like Hannah to pick up on things and subtle cues. Regina is just herself – a kind teenager with curly hair, big glasses, tremendous amounts of awkwardness, with a touch of her mother’s academic smarts.

She sighs, rearranges her glasses, and continues doing her homework.

She’s reading Henrik Ibsen’s _Ghosts_ when she feels someone sit next to her. She places her yellow bookmark, closes her book, and looks to her left.

It’s the new guy.

She guesses he must have felt her stare because he stops taking his homework out of his backpack and looks at her. The moment they lock eyes Regina feels the rest of the world vanish, and suddenly it’s just them. She finds herself spellbound to the most beautiful human being she has ever seen.

How could anyone ever say he had the eyes of a murderer?

Regina’s in cloud nine when she sees his lips move, and although she’s aware that he’s asking her something, her mind isn’t processing what he’s saying. Although this is the first time she has seen the guy up close, and although this is the first time she’s heard him speak, Regina could swear that she _knows_ him –she’s certain of it. She doesn’t know how or why she knows this; she just does.

“Is it a good book?” he asks her softly, almost as if not to scare her… or maybe because they’re at a library where you’re supposed to speak in low tones. His voice sounded kind and genuine. Heck, even his voice reminds her of someone she heard in a dream. Regina vaguely remembers what the dream is about, but she knows in her heart that the next words he will say are the exact words from the dream.

She must have had had a stupid look in her face that betrays what she’s really feeling for the guy because his smile becomes shy. He places his hand on her arm, and he says, “Everything’s okay.” His eyes seem to say _I mean no harm_.

Regina doesn’t know why but she blushes as she replies with, “Thank you.”

They exchange gentle smiles and slowly look away from each other, “focusing” their attention to their homework piles.

“I’m sorry,” Regina starts, hoping to get his attention, “but… have we met before? It might sound weird, but I get the feeling like we do.”

He turns his chair so that he is completely facing her and can give her his full attention.

“So, it’s not just me,” he comments, holding back a grin.

Regina feels her heart flutter at his comment, and she thinks he has a beautiful smile. She finds herself wishing to do nothing but hold his hand.

They’re both silent for a while before Regina realizes that, although he is the main focus of rumors at school, she doesn’t even know his name. She has heard some people say the name “Aleksander” and she has heard others say “Boris”.

Regina is the first one to break the silence. “I’m sorry but… I know this will sound weird… but could you tell me your name?” She desperately wants to get to know him.

He seems to reconsider this. He licks his lips and says, “It’s complicated.”

Regina frowns when she notices that his once slightly lighthearted aura has turned into a sad and lonely one. She tries to lighten the mood by extending her hand and replying with, “Hello ‘complicated’, I’m Regina.”

He chuckles and shakes her hand. “Hello Regina. My real name is Boris Niewald, but right now I go by Aleksander Kahnwald. That might change though since Mama Ines is getting married to Mr. Köhler. Don’t tell her I said so but Aleksander Köhler doesn’t resonate with me.”

Now she understood why the whole confusion with his name.

“What do you wish to be called?”

He closes his eyes and thinks about it. Keeping his eyes closed, he answers, “Aleksander. Boris brings too many bad memories. I want a new start, you know?”

Regina doesn’t know how to reply to that. She knows anything she does or says will be awkward, but she tries anyway. “Aleksander. It can sound powerful or it can sound gentle. I like it.”

Aleksander breaths out, opens his eyes, and smiles at her. “Thank you.”

Regina knows that it will take a while before she gets to know him and for him to know her. She knows that it’s best to start things slow, that there might be ups and downs, but she doesn’t mind. She knows they’ll be good friends.

Or maybe even more than that.

∞♡∞♡∞

_November 1986_

This is it.

Today is the day Regina leaves Winden for good.

She’s mentally prepared to leave everyone and everything behind – not that there’s much for her here.

She knows this day was going come sooner or later; anyone in living Winden has dreamt at least once of leaving this town and never coming back.

For as long as she could remember, Regina has wanted to leave Winden and its cage of loneliness. She doesn’t have friends, her good memories of Winden are few, her mother rarely, if ever, pays her any attention, she doesn’t know who her father was, and she honestly sees no future in this town that seems to exist in another plane of reality, suspended in time.

If she disappeared, would anyone notice? Would anyone remember Regina Tiedemann? Would anyone care?

As Regina finds herself waiting for the bus, she looks inside her bag. Did she have enough to live on her own? Did she pack enough? Which town was she going to? Although she knew this day would come, Regina frowns and bites her lip as she revisits her decision. She really didn’t put much thought to how she was going to do this. This had been an impulsive decision; she hadn’t had the best of days (not that she had many to begin with) and she was at her wits end. Was she being stupid?

_Stupid Regina. Why can’t you ever have a smart decision? Why can’t you be normal?_

If she had been calmer, she would have realized that in this very moment she is beyond scared – probably the most she has ever been in her life. Regina is terrified; she has never left her hometown, can barely ace a simple geography test, and doesn’t know a soul in the world outside of Winden.

 _It’s too late to back up now,_ she tries to convince herself, hands tightening around her bag’s straps, completely forgetting to close her bag.

Regina’s gaze is on her fingers when she hears the bus arrive. Her breath quickens.

She hears someone get down, but she has yet to look up or stand up. Regina briefly wonders why anyone with a right state of mind would ever want to go to Winden of all places?

“Are you going to stay there all day, or do you want me to invite you inside?” says a rough and condescending voice.

Regina bites her lips and looks up to see the bus driver waiting for her response. Not once does she turn her gaze to the newcomer, and because of that, she misses his look of anger at the man’s rude words and how he’s about to defend her.

Regina stands up, her hands visibly shaking as she grabs her bag. However, in doing so, the bag and all its content (which are few) fall to the floor.

Regina wants the world to swallow her whole. Mortified doesn’t even begin to describe how she’s feeling.

As she’s about to pick her fallen items, a hand with a few bruises goes to help her.

Regina looks up to the hand’s owner, a teenager, maybe two years older than her, and before she can stop herself Regina says, “Thank you.”

Regina swears she has met him before – not in this life, but in another distant one under different circumstances. She just knows it. There is a sense of familiarity when she sees his blue eyes, his dark long hair, and his leather jacket. She feels safe and loved. What a weird thought from someone who is just helping her pick up her mess.

“Hey, are you alright?” the familiar stranger asks her.

Regina nods but still says nothing. So many things are running through her head, but through all that, she can feel the bus driver losing his patience. Before the bus driver can be rude again, the familiar stranger turns his head towards the driver’s direction. Whatever expression the stranger has makes the driver keep his comments to himself.

She doesn’t notice that she’s still shaking.

The helpful stranger looks at her, places a hand on her shoulder, and says, “Everything’s okay.”

She feels a spark, and everything clicks in for Regina. She takes a deep breath in and finds herself smiling, trying to control a giggle or two. She looks at the bus driver and shakes her head to let him know that she’s staying.

The bus and Regina’s opportunity leave, but she doesn’t mind.

The stranger offers her his hand once again and helps her get up. Regina finds herself wishing to hold his hand and never letting go.

He offers her a small smile and Regina returns it.

Not being able to control herself, and desperate to hear his voice again, she asks, “Are you new here?”

He nods and teasingly adds, “I’m guessing that you’ve been living here all your life.”

“Yes,” she admits with a chuckle. “Am I that obvious?”

He laughs and shakes his head. Then, in a more serious tone, he states, “You looked like you were scared and unsure of your decision, like you really didn’t want to leave.”

Regina plays with her fingers. “Thank you for helping me… and from stopping me,” she says with a shy smile. “If I’m honest, I was really scared and confused.” Then she extends her hand, “I’m Regina. Welcome to Winden.”

He takes her hand gently and shakes it. “I’m Boris; Boris Niewald. But I’ve been thinking of changing my name to Aleksander.”

 _Boris; that’s a pretty name_ , Regina thinks. Then, she tells him with a soft gaze, “Don’t; Boris sounds really nice. You seem like a nice person.” Regina’s eyes widen as she realizes what she just said; she doesn’t know his reasons for wanting to change his name or move to Winden, she’s being rude!

She quickly corrects herself by stammering, “I’m sorry – I mean – what I meant to say was – I think – shoot I don’t know what I’m saying.”

“Hey, everything’s okay,” Boris reassures. Regina feels that spark again.

“I’m sorry; I don’t mean to tell you what to do. I’m sure you have your reasons for wanting to change your name. Aleksander sounds great too.” Regina hopes he doesn’t feel offended; she’s worried he’ll think she’s rude and weird.

But instead of looking upset or thinking she’s crazy, Boris has a tender look on his face.

“You know,” he starts, “you’re the first person to ever tell me that Boris sounds nice, that I seem like a nice person. It felt nice.” He smiles at her again and Regina’s chest is filled with warmth.

Then cheekily he adds, “Maybe I’ll listen to your advice Ms. Regina. Boris Niewald at your service.”

Regina grins and they both walk away from the bus station.

As they walk Regina realizes she was never meant to leave Winden; she was just meant to meet him here.

∞♡∞♡∞

Regina was happy when her hotel opened; it had been a lifelong dream of hers, and she had worked hard day and night to achieve her dream. Many of her friends had wondered why she thought opening a hotel in Winden, of all places, was a good idea.

Regina understood their point of view; for a long time, she had the same point of view. Anyone who was born and raised in Winden knew that nothing ever happened or changed. Winden is its own universe, a place where the laws of the world and universe worked differently. Winden is a place with its own peculiar tradition; during adolescence, at least once, every person living in Winden has tried to leave the town. But everyone always comes back… well, everyone except the famous scientist Tannhaus’s family. The scientist’s son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter lived someplace else but always came to visit during holidays. Regina knew this because Charlotte Tannhaus, the granddaughter, had been Regina’s summer friend for as long as she could remember.

Regardless of all the peculiarities Winden possessed, Regina loved the place. Winden wasn’t perfect but at least it was home. Winden will always be that place that welcomes anyone regardless of background. She just wanted people to know that and to always feel welcomed. And with that in mind, she worked towards establishing a hotel that would allow visitors to explore the familiar eeriness of the place with its large forest, to come and witness the tight bonds of the community, and to experience the potential it had to offer.

If Regina closes her eyes she can still remember how excited her mother, Claudia, had been when Regina told her that she was close to achieving her dream; all she was missing was setting an inauguration day and Winden’s first hotel would open.

Regina and everyone she knew had been surprised at how many people had booked a room during the first few years. Winden had never seen so many people from the outside world come and visit. Surprisingly, people took it well.

It didn’t take long for everyone, Regina included, to realize what was it that attracted so many people to Winden. It all had to with two things unique to Winden: a scientist and Winden’s inexplicable out-of-the-ordinary occurrences.

The first part Regina could understand; it makes sense. The scientist H.G. Tannhaus, although quite old and retired, is renowned as one of Germany’s most famous scientists. Every child in Winden, maybe even all over Germany, had watched reruns of his television show. Regina’s aware that his presence attracts attention and therefore business to her hotel.

The second reason made a little less sense to her. She had read in the newspaper that some people came to Winden to study the place and its people. They believe that the town was a center for the paranormal and the unexplained phenomena. Apparently, a century or two ago, a secret society conducted experiments in the Winden caves, and all that energy made Winden different from the rest of the world. Some results of such experiments included, but were not limited to: people claiming to seeing doppelgängers; people claiming to getting strange visions when walking by the Winden caves; people “disappearing” and coming back with stories of another world, and by far, the most famous outcome, Winden’s time “stopping” for a nanosecond every last week of June.

Regina’s not sure how truthful these things but she had never experienced anything that strange in all her years in Winden. Charlotte Tannhaus had explained to her that it’s because she has always been in Winden that nothing seemed “weird”; Regina had just shrugged, she wouldn’t know.

But despite all the activity, this week had been slow and today she’s bored. There’s not much to do and Regina’s debating whether she should clean the lobby or one of the rooms. And then, she sees a man in a black suit coming through the door.

Regina stands straight, smiles, and greets him. As he comes closer, Regina feels her heart race.

The man looks at her for a long moment as if trying to remember what he was going to say (although to an observer this would indicate that he was mesmerized by her). He blinks a few times before he clears his throat and tells her his situation – he was meant to have a business meeting in Winden’s neighboring town, but the meeting was rescheduled. Much to his chagrin, the decision had been done at the very last minute, leaving him with no choice but to search for a nearby hotel and wait. That’s how he came across Waldhotel Winden, which happened to be the closest hotel available.

Regina feels sympathy for the man in front of her, but she can’t help but be happy that she had stuck with her dream of opening a hotel, if only for the opportunity to meet with him.

He asks if there are any rooms available for the night, if it’s okay to make an exception for his lack of reservation, and for the first time in days Regina is beyond happy that business has been slow. She knows she needs to stay professional, but she really wants to get to know the man – if anything, just to have a conversation.

Regina smiles warmly and replies, “Everything’s okay, there are rooms available. Please give me a moment to prepare the room, Mr …?”

“Niewald,” he answers with a smile, his eyes never leaving hers. “Boris Niewald.”

Regina’s smile widens. “Thank you, Mr. Niewald.”

“But if you may Ms. Doppler, you may call me Boris.”

“Then Boris, please call me Regina.”

∞♡∞♡∞

Boris Niewald hates Winden and Winden hates him.

Every day Boris wishes for something to change.

He’s even thought of leaving Winden and never looking back. There is nothing tying him down to his hometown other than his father, but Boris knows his father cares more about his job than him.

He is willing to do anything to leave this town and start anew.

It’s November and Boris is coming back from his fencing class, minding his own business, when he sees Aleksander Köhler and his brother Wilhelm.

_Oh God no. Anything but those two._

The Köhler brothers were nothing but a source of constant bullying and humiliation. It’s not that Boris couldn’t defend himself –he could– but they always ganged up on him and if he fought back his father’s reputation as the Nuclear Power Plant’s director may be ruined. How is he supposed to be respected as a director when his son is a “trouble-maker”? As much as Boris disagreed with his father and often felt sad that they had a weak relationship, he was his only family. His father may not care about him, but Boris cared about his father’s opinion of him a lot. Boris knows he doesn’t stand out, he knows that he’s not smart like his father, he knows he’s not handsome, he knows that everyone is scared of what his father could do since news broke out about Chernobyl, and he knows his father wishes he could be more like him but there was only so much Boris could take.

“Oi, Niewald!” Aleksander shouts, walking towards him with an angry look on his face. “Fucking daddy’s boy.”

Boris stops and is quickly searching for an escape route.

Aleksander gets closer to him and pushes him. Boris gasps despite himself; he’s getting nervous.

“I know what you did,” Aleksander spits, face getting red with anger. “Is this your idea of revenge? Getting my mother fired from her job? How the fuck are we supposed to live now? Is this because of happened during the summer?” Aleksander pushes him again. “We were just playing; we weren’t going to leave you there. A real man would have survived a night in the woods.”

“I have to go,” Boris mumbles quickly. He really doesn’t want to be here; he doesn’t want to fight, he’s tired of all of this.

Aleksander grabs him and pushes him. “See this?” He points at his brother Wilhelm’s bruised face and then points at his right arm with cigar burn scars. “My parents did that to us because of your shit.”

Boris’s throat closes and all he hears is his heart pounding madly. _It’s coming again_.

Wilhelm comes closer and holds Boris while Aleksander kicks him in the stomach. Boris falls, grunting in pain. Before he can even take a proper breath, he feels Aleksander’s fingers digging into his scalp and pulling him by his hair. Wilhelm cracks his knuckles with a smirk.

“Hey! Stop that!” a female voice calls out from the woods.

All three of them look towards the owner of the voice. All three of them see a girl, younger and shorter than them, walking towards them.

“Fuck off,” Aleksander sneers, “this is none of your business.”

“I said to stop that,” she says while coming closer. Boris notices that she must be at least three years younger than him. Her eyes are wide behind her glasses, her curly hair is wild and all over the place, and she wears a leather jacket that is too big on her.

Aleksander lets go of Boris and challenges the girl. “And I said to fuck off.”

The girl stands her ground. “Apologize to him.” Although Boris is terrified about what could happen to her life and his, he’s thankful for the small act of kindness.

He’s looking for a way to fight Aleksander and Wilhelm and let her escape when his eyes widen. The girl takes out a gun and points it at the Köhler brothers.

“I said to apologize to him,” she enunciates every syllable slowly.

Wilhelm, face gone pale, takes a step back, but Aleksander stands his ground. He tilts his head and looks down at her. “And how do I know if it’s real?”

She doesn’t say anything but stares back at him with intensity as she shows him the bullets.

“I suggest you two leave quickly from here,” she commands. “And if any of you mess with him again, I won’t hesitate to hurt you.”

The Köhler brothers run away without looking back. Boris is still shaking when he feels a hand on his arm.

“Everything’s okay,” the girl whispers.

Boris stares at her and realizes that although she projected an air of toughness and power, she looks like an angel.

_Did I die?_

“Thank you,” he says softly.

She nods multiple times and then falls. With a pained expression she touches her right shoulder. Her hand is covered in blood.

“You’re bleeding!” Boris exclaims in horror.

“It’s not that bad,” she reassures him though her voice betrays her.

 _Oh no, she’s going to bleed to death!_ He has to do something. “You need a doctor.”

At the mention of a doctor, the girl shakes her head and pleads, “No doctors. Please.”

Boris frowns deeply trying to think on how he could help her. “My father isn’t home. I have bandages and a first aid kit. I can help you.”

She nods a little.

Boris puts his arm around her to help her get up. He then asks, “What’s your name?”

She parts her lips and takes a while to reply. Boris is worried that this might be a sign that she has lost so much blood that she can’t remember her name. But that worry is cut short when she replies,

“Regina. Regina Tiedemann.”

∞♡∞♡∞

The feeling that never leaves Regina’s life comes one chilly November afternoon during her fifteenth year.

Her fencing lessons are done and she’s getting ready to leave when she feels something change in her. Her hands go to her stomach and she gets this feeling she can’t explain. It starts from her stomach and expands all through her body. Maybe she’s catching a cold… only that couldn’t be because she feels as healthy as always. She tries to think if perhaps she got hurt during her lesson, but she feels fine. It’s something else… it’s like her subconscious is telling her something important. She just doesn’t know what it is.

Regina decides that it’s time to go back home. As she’s walking down her usual route, she feels her heart race a little and can sense that her gut and her mind are telling her to go through the forest, that it’s important. She can’t explain why but it’s like a string is pulling her towards the forest. But before she can take a detour and walk towards where she is meant to go, she hears her name being called by Katharina.

“Regina!” Katharina shouts. Regina turns around and sees that she’s walking with a friend of hers and two boys whose names Regina can’t recall right now. She turns her head towards the forest again, her face conflicted by the choice she must make.

“Regina,” Katharina calls again. “Where are you going? I thought we agreed on meeting with Hannah.”

Regina looks at the road towards the forest one last time before she turns around and joins her friends, ignoring a slight pain on her right shoulder and chest.

A few days to a week later everyone at school is talking about the body of a teenager that was found in the Winden forest; everyone except Regina that is.

Regina is hearing music from her Walkman as she’s rearranging her bookbag when Katharina and Hannah go to her with amused faces.

Regina takes her headphones down and looks at them before asking, “Why are you two so amused?” Surely it couldn’t be because of the Physics test today.

“Didn’t you hear?” Hannah asks, hands in her jacket pockets. Hannah has always been amazed at how Regina was always the last one to find out about things even if her grandfather worked as a police officer.

Katharina leans against the wall, tilts her head, and looks at Regina before she says, “Someone found a body of a guy by the forest. Apparently, he bled out from a bullet wound. The police found nothing on the boy, just a gun. Some people think that he was on the run; he was probably from the East side. Although others say he was the guy involved in the Marburg robbery and murder. It’s almost like something you would hear from a song.”

Hannah nods and looks at Regina for some feedback. Then Hannah frowns. “Everything okay, Regina?”

Regina nods because she can’t find her voice and she thinks it has to do with dead guy. Did he suffer? How long was it before he passed out because of blood loss? Was he alone or did he have someone with him? Regina takes a shaky breath.

_No, everything’s not okay._

They all leave for class.

Once she gets home, Regina makes the connection between her gut feeling the other day and the dead young man found in the woods.

That’s who she was meant to meet.

Regina cries for reasons she’s unable to explain to her mother.

Although Regina leads a perfectly normal life with a loving circle of friends and family, she would spend the rest of her life wondering what would have happened had she gone through the forest that November after in 1986 and met the boy.

∞♡∞♡∞

_Nielsen home – a few hours before Katharina’s surprise birthday party_

It’s Katharina’s birthday and many of her friends had agreed on giving her a birthday party. Ulrich had suggested to host the party at his place because Katharina would have no suspicions. While he was in charge of distracting his girlfriend (probably making out), everyone else was in charge of helping. Most were helping, a few were just talking or had already decided to arrive later in the day.

Peter and some guy Regina doesn’t know are moving the furniture while her and Charlotte are blowing balloons. Hannah had been in charge of bringing the birthday cake and was now helping Michael decorate the house who was giving it an artistic touch. Mads was getting the music and making sure that nothing valuable was at risk of being hit during the party. Some of Katharina’s friends had brought snacks, drinks, and utensils for the party. Others had just brought gifts.

As Regina is blowing the last balloon, she looks towards the guy that had helped Peter move the furniture. As she’s tying the balloon, she nudges Charlotte. Charlotte raises an eyebrow.

“Hey Charlotte,” Regina begins, “do you know who that guy is? The one next to Peter?”

Charlotte turns around and glances towards Peter’s direction. She shrugs. “I don’t know. I’ve never seen him. Maybe a friend of Ulrich’s?”

“Are you sure you’ve never seen him?” Regina asks trying to hold a grin. “Weren’t you the one who said that you always have a sense of déjà vu whenever you cross paths with someone here in Winden? That everyone seemed like someone you had known?”

Charlotte rolls her eyes but laughs, nonetheless. “Very funny Regina. But it’s true. You even agreed.”

Regina looks over at Mads, Peter, Hannah, Michael, and the mysterious guy. It was true. The last time they all had a get together, Charlotte had made the comment. It was like they were all connected, like all of them had known each other elsewhere. Peter agreed; he said that ever since he could remember, he had felt like something, or someone, was pulling him to Winden, as if whatever he was missing could be found in this small town. Mads and Regina had looked at each other – they had had a conversation about that same topic not that long ago when coming back from fencing lessons. Katharina had laughed at that but then admitted that it was something that had always dance around in her head. Even Ulrich, who normally acted like didn’t care about anything and was far from being open with his feelings, agreed that he also felt that connection with them. He even admitted that he felt that for the circle of friendship to be complete all they needed was one more friend. Michael had stayed quiet but nodded, holding Hannah’s hand and leaning closer to her, whispering something in her ear. Hannah smiled but then got serious as she had said that she had had a déjà vu, that she had dreamt this exact conversation, but that she agreed with everyone.

Regina wonders if the missing member that Ulrich had mentioned was the mysterious boy.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the room, Boris finds himself staring at the girl next to Peter’s friend. Clearing his throat, he asks, “Peter?”

Peter, who is helping set the table, stops and gives Boris his full attention. “Yes?”

“Who’s that girl talking to your friend?”

Peter looks discreetly and holds back a chuckle. “Regina. Why? You want to talk to her?”

Boris just shrugs but gets closer as if waiting for Peter to give him extra information.

Peter pats him in the back and pushes him forward a little bit. “I got you.” He walks towards Charlotte and Regina but says something to Charlotte. Charlotte gets up and walks away with Peter towards the table. Boris looks confused for a second before he realizes this is his opportunity. He looks back at Peter and Charlotte who are finishing setting the table. Charlotte gives him a half wave and Peter gives him a thumbs up.

Boris walks towards Regina.

Regina looks up and sees the mysterious boy from earlier.

“Do you need help putting the balloons up?” he asks her. Regina looks towards Charlotte and Peter and thanks them in her mind.

She grins and nods. “That would be lovely. Thanks.”

As they decorate the room with balloons, they start talking and learning bits of information about each. She finds out his name is Boris Niewald and that he’s Ulrich’s friend (they both met while at the mechanic). He learns that her family has been living in Winden since the town was founded and that she dreams of opening a hotel. They share their worries and dreams about their futures.

“I just don’t know if everything will be okay,” Regina says while handing Boris strips of tape. “It’s exciting but scary, you know?”

“Yeah,” he admits, “I feel the same.” Then he adds, “If the world ended today, what would you wish for?”

Without hesitation Regina replies, “That’s easy; for all of us to stay friends regardless of the place. And for a world without Winden of course. What about you?”

Boris scratches his chin before he becomes serious, “To meet you again, regardless of the timeline, reality, or world.”

Once he finishes putting the last balloon, he places a hand on her arm.

And they both feel it.

“Everything’s okay,” they say in sync. They’re beaming and burst into laughter.

_Moments later_

“Everyone!” someone shouts instead of whispering. “They’re coming!”

“Hide!” someone else shouts. Regina and Boris look at each other and hide behind the kitchen counter.

“Please, everyone in their places!” Mads instructs before turning off the lights.

The door opens and everyone can hear Ulrich and Katharina.

“Ulrich,” Katharina says with amusement, “is this a surprise party?”

“Katharina,” he replies, “where would I get so many people to throw a party? Besides, everyone knows you wouldn’t share the cake.”

She swats the back of his head lightly. “Ow, Katharina!”

“Then why are the lights off?”

Ulrich shrugs. “I don’t know, maybe my parents want to save money on electricity?”

She goes to turn on the lights and is surprised when everyone pops up and shouts, “Surprise! Happy birthday Katharina!”

The rest of party goes wonderfully. Everyone enjoys the music, munches on snacks, some dance, others talk, Katharina is hanging out with everyone, and Regina and Boris never leave each other’s side.

“Everyone,” Hannah states as she drags Katharina towards the cake, “let’s sing ‘Happy Birthday’.”

They all gather and sing. When they finish, Katharina blows the candles and raises her drink. “To a world without Winden!”

Everyone cheers to that.

Everything will be okay.

**Author's Note:**

> This ended up being a lot of fun. I really liked the relationship between Regina and Aleksander (even if he never told her the truth, but we saw how scared and guilty he felt). I was sad to see that he wasn't at the dinner party in the series finale. 
> 
> Originally I was going to place the "one time they don't" at the end but that felt too sad, hence why we have the "final" meeting. Although it seems ooc I wanted to write a scenario where all the characters from their generation were alive, happy, and friends. 
> 
> (I made Clausen's "real" name be Wilhelm Köhler because we're never given his name, just in case anyone gets confused). 
> 
> Thank you reading!  
> Hope you like it :)


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